Never Let Me Go
by TreeOfLife1997
Summary: AU. After the fall, Will had no choice but to run if he wants to save himself and Hannibal. However, Hannibal thinks Will is dead and the image of Will he keeps seeing is a product of his own mind as it deals with the grief of losing Will Graham. But Will isn't all he seems and no matter how well Hannibal thinks he knows Will, he'll never know everything about him. Psychic!Will.


Disclaimer: I do not own Hannibal.

**Never Let Me Go**

A/N: Based on my one-shot Ripples in the Ocean.

**Chapter One**

All he had felt was his Will leaning his weight against him and suddenly they were falling. It had only taken a couple of seconds for them to hit the water, but for Hannibal, it felt like a lifetime. He had fallen with his Will gripped tightly in his arms and then they had hit the water and Hannibal had surfaced alone.

He reached out blindly, through the inky black water, hoping to find his Will. He was met with nothing but empty water. The moon which had been briefly hidden behind a cloud suddenly broke free and the inky black water was lit up suddenly by the light of the moon and Hannibal tried desperately to find his Will, but there was no sign of him.

Even when he tried driving back under the surface of the icy cold water and reaching out as far and as deep as he could, it yielded no results.

He was alone.

Will Graham was gone.

The more logical side of Hannibal's brain knew there was no hope for his Will now… He would have drowned and even if Hannibal could reach him, there would be no life left to save.

His Will was dead.

And as the moon vanished behind a cloud once more, Hannibal found his strength leaving him. His injuries were finally making themselves known. Looking around Hannibal spotted a small beach in the distance, only just visible through the dark. He began to swim towards it, with the last of his strength. The cold water had slowed down the blood flow from his injuries, but he'd lost a lot of blood before the fall, he'd be lucky if he made it.

As he slowly drew closer to the shore, he found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He was just so tired. His body was already shaking uncontrollably as he shivered. Hypothermia was beginning to set in, he'd been in the cold water too long. And under the light of the moon, less than ten meters from the shore, Hannibal's eyes slipped closed and he disappeared under the water and didn't resurface.

)o(

Will broke through the surface with a gasp, coughing up salt water which made his lungs and throat burn. Gasping in cold air, he fought against the current which threatened to drag him back under. Looking around, he tried to catch sight of Hannibal, but it was too dark to see anything. Deep down, Will knew Hannibal was still alive, so he knew he wasn't under the water. The only reason Will was still alive was that he'd built up a tolerance to cold water and knew how to hold his breath for longer periods of time.

He was a fisherman, after all, he couldn't risk drowning if it was within his power to prevent it. Especially when he went ice fishing of all things. He knew how to survive if he fell through the ice. He knew how much time he'd have to pull himself back out before he was beyond saving. He knew what to do once he had pulled himself out of the ice and how to prevent the ice cracking further.

As the moon broke through the clouds once more, Will caught sight of Hannibal, swimming towards a beach. He tried to call out, but no sound would pass his burning throat. With no other choice, Will began to swim after Hannibal, ignoring the pain it caused him to do so. Besides, if he stayed in the water any longer he'd die.

Will's heart almost stopped as he saw Hannibal disappear under the water and with a burst of energy he didn't know he had left in him, Will dived through the water and caught hold of Hannibal, pulling him back up to the surface. By some miracle, Hannibal hadn't inhaled any water during his trip under the water and Will quickly pulled him to shore.

Collapsing onto the sand next to Hannibal, Will shut his eyes. What was he going to do now? He didn't have the strength to carry Hannibal and where would they even go? Will didn't have access to the locations and supplies like Hannibal did. They'd be caught before they even made it into the next state… Maybe Will could wait for Jack to arrive and claim he'd caught Hannibal.

No.

That wasn't an option.

How was he going to get them out of this?

The answer was obvious, he wasn't.

At least not right now.

"Please forgive me," Will whispered getting to his feet and disappearing into the dark.

)o(

Hannibal woke to find himself strapped to a medical bed and the beeping of a heart monitor off to his left somewhere, just out of sight. He stared up at the ceiling, slightly surprised to find he was still alive. It was only logical to assume after he'd fallen unconscious, his body had been washed ashore and someone had found him before he was beyond saving.

Was that why his Will had pushed them both off the cliff? Had he known the F.B.I. had been closing in on their location? By falling off that cliff, it would have been near impossible for the F.B.I. to know whether they had died or not. They would have been declared missing and presumed dead unless a body was washed up and then they would have been able to make it a confirmed death.

The sea would have no doubt been searched, but after a while, the heat would have died down and he and his Will would have been able to escape and start their lives anew somewhere else. It would have been the perfect escape… But his Will could have pushed them both of the cliff to end both their lives. Both of them had been injured, there was no way of knowing if they'd survive it.

Also, had they not fallen, they would have been caught and they both would have been imprisoned for what they had done. Hannibal continued to stare up at the ceiling. Had his Will thought dying together was a better option than being imprisoned and never being allowed to see each other again? But he must have known Hannibal was capable of escaping every cell on Earth and freeing both of them…

Unless his Will believed that wasn't an option. Maybe he thought he wouldn't be able to plead insanity and to be found guilty would mean the death penalty. Or could it have been as simple as his Will had simply lost consciousness while leaning into their embrace and it had been the result of his dead weight, which had sent them falling from the cliff as they had?

Maybe his Will had simply lost he balance or his legs had lost their strength, after all, he had endured and fallen against him and it had been Hannibal who had dragged him over the edge with him due to his tight embrace, unable to support both their weight.

But it was pointless to think about such things.

He had never been able to truly predict the actions of his Will in life, so how could he fare any better in predicting his actions in death?

"I would say it's good to see you, Doctor," A voice interrupted Hannibal's musing. "But we both it wouldn't be true."

And suddenly Hannibal felt the bed moving beneath him and he found himself being sat up against his will. Before him at the end of his bed stood Jack Crawford.

"Agent Crawford," Hannibal greeted.

"Where's Will Graham?" Was all Agent Crawford said in response.

"Why do you think I would know?" Hannibal asked.

"We found traces of his blood at the scene, both scenes," Agent Crawford snapped. "So, I'll ask you again, Doctor Lecter, where is Will Graham?"

"I do not know," Hannibal answered honestly.

And he didn't.

His Will's body could be lying on the seafloor or have been swept away by a current. Maybe his body had washed ashore like Hannibal and had yet to be found and a member of the public would eventually find it and call the police. Maybe a fisherman would haul his body aboard their boat tangled up in their fishing nets…

Or maybe, as slim a chance as it was, Will had survived the fall too.

"Don't lie to me, Doctor," Agent Crawford warned.

"I am not lying, Agent Crawford," Hannibal replied, with the barest hint of annoyance.

The air was heavy with the scent of Jack Crawford's frustration. Crawford seemed to realise that he wasn't going to make any more progress on that front, so decided to change the subject to something Hannibal would most likely want to know about.

"You were found unconscious on a beach by a couple of agents after we discovered Francis Dolarhyde's body," Agent Crawford explained. "You were fortunate they found you when they did."

Hannibal simply stared at Agent Crawford, before a movement out the corner of his eye caught his attention. There in the right-hand corner of the room beyond Jack Crawford's shoulder, stood Will Graham. He looked exactly the same as the last time Hannibal had seen him, covered in blood, only he was also drenched and dipping water all over the floor. A small puddle was beginning to form around him and Jack Crawford seemed completely unaware of him.

)o(

Will's eyes snapped open and he bolted upright gasping for breath and coughing up water. He was drenched through. Stumbling to his feet, he made his way across the small motel room and into the bathroom. Bracing himself against the sink, he coughed up more water and continued to gasp for breath.

It had been a long time since he had astral projected, he'd forgotten the dangers of it. But he had to see if Hannibal had made it if he had survived.

After Will had left Hannibal unconscious on the beach, he had made it back up to the house. He grabbed some clean clothes and some medical supplies after treating his wounds the best he could. He disused of his bloodstained clothes and grabbed all the money he could find, as well as the fake documents and passports Hannibal had prepared. He'd fled into the darkness just as the F.B.I. had been arriving.

He'd run for miles until he reached a motel he'd seen on what very well could have been his place of death. He'd booked out a room under a fake name and paid in cash. The following morning before dawn, he'd hot-wired a car and dumped it at the closest town. With the fake documents, Will had hired a car and gotten as far away as he could, doing his best not to draw attention to himself.

And so he had ended up here.

Hundreds of miles away in a shitty motel. He'd seen in the news Hannibal had been found, but no other details had been given out. Not even Freddie Lounds had any insider exclusive information. Fearing the worst, Will had decided to astral project. You see, Will didn't have an empathy disorder, that was just a cover. Believe it or not, Will was psychic. He could see ghosts, communicate with ghost and astral project.

All very useful skills when trying to track down murders.

Astral projection was risky though. He ran the risk of getting trapped outside of his body, which would cause his death and his spirit to wander aimlessly trapped in-between words until the end of time. However, it had been worth the risk.

He'd seen Hannibal.

Hannibal was alive.

… And Hannibal had looked right at him.

)o(

"Hello, Will," Hannibal whispered, as his Will sat in the chair beside his bed.

Will had left a trail of water from the doorway all the way over to the chair, where he had entered the room and Hannibal wondered if there was a trail of water left in the hallway to. His Will had only been sitting for a couple of seconds, yet a puddle had already begun to form under the chair and Hannibal wondered if anyone would notice the water.

Will smiled at him but didn't speak. But Hannibal was content to just sit there and stare at him. He knew his Will couldn't really be there, dripping water all over the floor, but Hannibal didn't mind. He'd rather have this illusion, this spectre which sat beside him than an empty room and his mind which kept conjuring images of his Will's dead body.

Will looked at him, but never quite making eye contact, before his attention turned to the room around them, his eye darting about as he took in every detail. Finally, Will looked back at Hannibal or more precisely Hannibal's hand which was closest to him, held down by restraints. Will's eyes snapped up to meet Hannibal's and Will seemed to be searching for something before he raised an arm and pointed towards the door to the hospital room.

Hannibal looked at the doorway, before looking back at the chair Will had been sitting in, only to find him gone. All that remained was a soaking wet chair, a puddle of water and a trail of wet footprints and water droplets which lead from the door to the chair. Hannibal turned his attention back to the door and watched as a squad of six armed guards entered the room, whilst two more stood outside guarding the door.

They were taking no chances, for fear that he would escape. They didn't seem to understand Hannibal had no reason to run. There was no Will Graham to chase him halfway across the world this time. Everything felt meaningless and devoid of colour and feeling. He and his Will had become one.

And half could not survive without that which made it whole.

)o(

Will rubbed a hand over his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He'd astral projected again, he'd had better control this time around and he'd been able to stay longer, see Hannibal better and even warn him of the approaching danger. Hannibal had even greeted him, which confirmed Hannibal could see him. It should have made him happy, but he'd seen something in Hannibal's eyes.

Hannibal had given up.

Closing his eyes, Will leant forward until his forehead rested against the mirror. What was he going to do? Hannibal thought he was dead. No doubt he thought the Will he was seeing was a figment of his imagination as he tried to cope with the trauma of losing him and not Will's spirit astral projected into the room. Some times Will wished he'd told Hannibal the truth, rather than hiding behind the supposed empathy disorder.

Will let out a choked laugh. He could see how that would have gone down if he had strolled into Hannibal's office and declared himself psychic. Hannibal probably would have thought… Actually, Will wasn't sure what Hannibal would have thought. Straightening up, Will let out a sigh. What was he going to do? How was he going to fix Hannibal? Now that was quite something! Whoever would have thought Hannibal would need to be fixed?

Moving back out into the main room of the motel room, Will began to plan.

)o(

"We found Bedelia Du Maurier's body today," Agent Crawford said, from where he stood in front of Hannibal's cell.

That caught Hannibal's attention and he slowly emerged from his mind palace and turned his head to regard Agent Crawford from where he sat cross-legged on his prison bed.

"She died from shock," Agent Crawford carried on talking. "After cut off one her legs and cooking it. Her body was found after a neighbour called the police complaining about a bad smell. When the police entered the premises, they found Ms. Du Maurier sat at the table ready to eat and her own leg was the main course."

Hannibal simply continued to stare at Agent Crawford.

"Do you know what's strange?" Agent Crawford said. "She had set the table… But not only for herself. It was as if she'd been expecting company, that night. The same night you were found on the beach and Will Graham went missing… Two other places had been set, Doctor Lecter."

_Cleaver boy_, Hannibal thought. He knew his Will had been speaking with Bedelia, but he hadn't expected this to be the result. But then Hannibal had most likely been just as responsible for her actions as Will had been. Hannibal had been playing games with her mind for far longer than he'd known Will. Had his Will planned this? Was she going to be their first meal together after the fall?

"Where is Will Graham, Doctor Lecter?" Agent Crawford asked.

Hannibal turned his head and stared straight ahead with every intention of entering his mind place once more, only to find his Will leaning against the wall. He seemed slightly dryer this time and he smiled at Hannibal, a smile Hannibal had only seen a handful of times before and as his lips parted, water gushed out his mouth like a waterfall and the water spread across the floor at an alarming rate.

)o(

Will vomited water into the toilet bowl. Just when he thought he'd been making progress with his astral projection, this happened. Least he'd been drier this time, however, it seemed that water hadn't disappeared simply moved. Cursing to himself, Will sat back, leaning against the edge of the bath. He could get used to his astral projection leaving water everywhere and returning to his body to find himself soaked through, as long as he didn't end up coughing up any more water.

Tensing suddenly, Will knew he was no longer alone in the bathroom. He hadn't heard anyone enter, so that could mean only one thing, his visitor was otherworldly. Looking up, Will was greeted by the sight of Bedelia. She had one leg missing, which she dragged behind her. Will raised an eyebrow before daring to meet her gaze.

"You deserve each other," Her voice whispered in his ear.

Will opened his mouth to reply but she was gone.

)o(

Hannibal lay on his prison bed, staring up at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the paint. Agent Crawford hadn't visited in a while. Maybe he'd finally grown tired of asking the same question over and over again and never getting an answer which satisfied him. He shut his eyes and retreated into his mind palace, only to startle upright when a cold hand, far colder than any living person could have, touched his cheek.

His eye snapped open and he found his Will kneeling on the bed before him, their face less than an inch apart. Hannibal found his nose filled with the scent of the sea and a scent that was undeniably _Will_. His Will stared at him, seemingly searching his face and eyes as he had when Hannibal had first seen in his hospital room. Will frowned at whatever it was he found there and Hannibal found his breath catching in his throat as his Will moved forward.

"Live," His Will whispered in his ear, before moving to press an ice cold kiss to Hannibal's lips.

Hannibal shut his eyes for a moment as they burned with the need to shed tears and when he opened them once more, he was alone in his cell, with only the lingering scent of the sea in the air and the sound of high-heeled shoes walking along the walkway outside his cell, echoing through the air. He calmly got to his feet and moved to stand in front of the bullet-proof glass which made up the front of his cell.

Moments later a woman appeared before him.

"Good morning," Hannibal greeted politely.

"Doctor Lecter, my name is Clarice Starling," The woman replied. "May I speak with you?"

"You're one of Jack Crawford's, aren't you?" Hannibal questioned, even though he knew he was right.

"I am, yes," Clarice answered, with a slight nod of her head.

"May I see your credentials?" Hannibal asked.

"Certainly."

)o(

Will opened his eyes with a smile and raised a hand to his lips. Around him, a circle of candles flickered.

_Let the fun begin_, he thought.

)o(

**Hey! I hope you enjoyed this. Would anyone be interested in this being continued? I may leave it as an extended one-shot of my story Ripples in the Ocean. Let me know what you think!**

**Blessed be,**

**TreeOfLife1997.**


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